A Moment in Time
by MidnightRoulette
Summary: Wally and Artemis would've never guessed that they would find their other half in each other. He was obnoxious, told bad jokes, and had an ego the size of Texas. She was stubborn, rude, and emotionally closed off. Neither suspected they'd fall in love.
1. Humanity

Author's Note: Okay so this has been sitting on my computer for a while. It's basically going to be just a collection of one-shots with my absolute favorite pairing of Wally/Artemis. They are just _so _adorable and after "Revelation" (so many Spitfire moments I almost _died_) I figured I may as well post my own story. Now, these one-shots will _not _be in chronological order. With that being said, enjoy this first chapter! This one's kind of short, but I honestly think it works better that way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice.

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><p>Chapter One: Humanity<p>

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><p>This was it. The moment Artemis had been waiting for.<p>

All of the events over the past few months had finally culminated to lead her to this one _perfect _moment in time. It was as if everything had slowed down and _for once in her life_ things were going according to the plan.

_Her _plan.

"Now, is that anyway to greet your father, Artemis?"

She narrowed her eyes, pulling the bowstring back even tighter. She gently pushed the sharp tip of her arrow onto his now bare forehead.

There was no mask anymore. He'd lost it during the initial struggle, when Artemis had been able to corner him. All that remained was his angry-looking face and his dark grey eyes, the same eyes that Artemis would swear left and right she didn't have.

His lips curled into a smile as the echoing of footsteps sounded from behind her.

"Artemis?"

Her shoulders drooped, but her gaze did not falter from her father's face.

_Wally._

"Artemis, what are you doing?" he asked, taking a few steps forward.

She cleared her throat. "Don't come any closer Wally."

"But you—"

"Shut up," she snapped, pressing the tip of her arrow into Sportsmaster's head until she drew a small stream of blood.

"I didn't realize you had a boyfriend now, Artemis," her father said pleasantly, as if her were relating the weather forecast. "I'm hurt that you felt you couldn't come to me with this."

"You shut up too," she ground out between her teeth, glancing up slightly at Wally who was now in her direct line of sight behind Sportsmaster.

Her father chuckled and Artemis felt her temper rising. Here she was, about to finally kill her father, and he was _laughing _about it? Even on his deathbed, he was one part father, three parts murdering jackass.

"Artemis," Wally said slowly. "Put your bow down. I've got some cuffs in my—"

"That's not going to cut it, Wally," Artemis said. "He _deserves _to die for what he's done."

"That's not for you to decide," he argued calmly, putting his hands up in the air. "The League should decide what to do with him. I know that he's hurt you—"

Artemis automatically cursed the weak part of herself that had caused her to reveal her family secrets to the red-haired speedster.

He just _had _to be here. At this moment.

"No Wally," Artemis snapped. "You _don't _know anything. You don't know what it's like to be forced to kill innocent people, innocent _children_. You don't _know _what it's like to lose your humanity, every time you watch somebody die. You don't _know _what it's like to get beaten within an inch of your life because you failed a mission. And you sure as hell don't _know _what it feels like to have to compartmentalize it all on a daily basis."

She paused to glance down at her father again. "I've killed before. What's one more going to matter?"

Sportsmaster let out a sputtering laugh. "Beautiful speech, darling. You make daddy so proud."

She lifted her foot and kicked him square in the jaw, eliciting a slight grunt from him.

"You're right, I don't know," Wally said, and Artemis met his eyes once more. "But I _do _know you. You're better than this Artemis. You're better than the man who you _think _created you."

She looked down, her shoulders drooping once again. "I'm not, though. I'm just not."

She knew that this would only end in death. She knew that it was the only way she would be able to live her own life.

"Listen to your gut feeling," Sportsmaster instructed her. "Do what I've _trained _you to do. All you have to do is let go of that string and I'll be out of your hair forever."

"Don't Artemis."

She inhaled slowly. She wished Wally weren't here to see her like this. He was so good, had been so good to _her._

And she didn't even deserve to be able to look him in the eye.

"You were born to be a killer, Artemis," her father intoned. "This is your destiny. It's who you are."

"Artemis don't listen to him," Wally pleaded. "I know you're better than this. I-I love you and I _know_ deep down that you don't want to do this."

She closed her eyes. _Stupid Wally. Why does he always have to do this?_

All she had to do was let the string loose and let the arrow bury itself in her father's forehead. He would be dead and the many people that he had hurt—herself included—would be avenged.

One less villain in the world.

But deep down, she knew Wally was right. She was better than this, she had to be. For the sake of her own humanity. And for him.

She lowered her bow, eliciting a sinister laugh from Sportsmaster.

"I always knew you were too weak to do what was necessary," he mocked.

Artemis pulled her fist back and let it fly towards her father's jaw, effectively knocking him out. She stood up, dropped her bow and backed away from his prone body as Wally rushed forward to cuff Sportsmaster's hands behind him.

"Hey Rob," Wally said into his commlink. "We got him. Tell M'gann to bring the bio ship around."

Artemis swallowed, crossing her arms over her chest. Wally smiled softly as he approached her, taking her into his arms.

"You did the right thing, beautiful."

Artemis nodded against his chest, knowing that he was probably right.

But then why did she still feel like such a failure?


	2. Interruptions

Author's Note: Here's chapter two guys (: Hope you like it. Truly the only reason I'm updating this is because I don't want to write my econ essay. It's only seven paragraphs which is easy enough, but of course it _isn't _that simple,because it's going to be seven paragraphs of some serious boo-shit. Anyways, leaving for Vegas tomorrow so I won't be able to get an update out for _My Heart Can't Tell You No _or _Amicable Anarchy_ out. Unless… I decide to crank out some Roy/Arty action half way through my econ essay. I'm starting on it right after this… and after I go chill on tumblr some more. Anyways, this chapter takes place before Artemis and Wally start to develop any sort of romantic feelings. It's a little bit random, but hey, who isn't? Also, to all Asians, please don't be offended. I love you guys (:

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, I wouldn't be posting this here now would I?

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><p>Chapter Two: Interruptions<p>

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><p><em>Ugh.<em>

Artemis pushed a hand through her hair as she leaned over her biology text book. She frankly just couldn't understand what the point of all this was. She was a _superhero_ for god's sake! She shouldn't have to put up with the farce that was America's education system.

For a brief moment, she considered pouring some lighter fluid on the cover of her book and striking a match against it. She would watch as the flames engulfed the pristine pages, slowly curling them into each other until the book disintegrated completely. The shiny new cover would turn brown and disgusting until it too disappeared. She would never have to look at another strand of DNA again.

Artemis sighed. It was such a wonderful fantasy. Except for the part where she would have to explain to her mother why they had to pay sixty dollars for a new biology textbook.

Sighing once more, she turned her attention back to the page she was reading, allowing her finger to skim faster through the text.

_Tap, tap-tap, tap, tap-tap, tap._

Artemis looked up from her spot on the couch, surprised when she spotted Robin sitting at a table just a few feet away.

_Strange._ Artemis had thought she was the only in the library at Mount Justice. Then again, the boy wonder had the skills of a ninja. He had probably slipped in while Artemis was focused on her textbook.

And now he was _tapping _his beady little fingers on his book.

"Do you _mind?_" she asked irritably.

"What?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

She fixed the boy wonder with a flat look. "You're fingernails tapping the book. It's like nails on a chalkboard."

Robin shrugged. "Sorry, Arty."

Artemis pointedly turned her head back to the text and started to read again.

"What'cha working on, Arty?"

Artemis inhaled sharply and fixed Robin with a glare. "Biology."

Robin grinned. "Whelming."

"Yeah it is," Artemis snapped. "So if you could just—?"

"S-u-r-e."

Artemis rolled her eyes, before snapping back into her focused, study mode.

_Like DNA, RNA is made up of a long chain of components called nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of a nucleobase (sometimes called a nitrogenous base), a ribose sugar, and a phosphate group. The sequence of nucleotides allows_—

"Stupid people, I can't even take—" The angry grunts of Superboy entered the library, causing both Artemis and Robin to look up. Superboy stormed into the room, shaking the bookshelves closest to him. He stopped his speech upon finding Robin and Artemis there studying.

He cleared his throat. "Oh, sorry."

"Everything okay, dude?" Robin asked.

"No," the clone harrumphed. "I just came here to get away from people."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. Anxious to get Conner to sit down and be quiet, she spit out, "well we won't talk to you. Have a seat."

Conner glanced at the empty couches and desks surrounding them and seemed to decide something. "No thanks. I'm going for a swim."

And with that, Conner stomped his way back out of the library.

Artemis met Robin's eyes—well _sunglasses _—and they both shrugged, turning back to their work.

_The chemical structure of RNA is very similar to that of DNA, with two differences: (a)RNA contains the sugar ribose, while DNA contains the slightly different sugar deoxyribose (a type of—_

"_Hello _Megan, that's what the library is for!"

A resounding smack and the sound of light footsteps accompanied their resident martian's entrance into the library.

Artemis groaned, looking up expectantly as M'gann headed towards where she and Robin were situated.

"Oh hey guys!" M'gann greeted them cheerfully. "What are you up to?"

"I was studying," Robin muttered, barely loud enough for Artemis to hear.

"Or _trying_ to," Artemis nodded, looking down at her progress. She'd only managed to read about a third of the first page of the chapter.

"Well don't mind me," M'gann smiled. "I'm just looking for a cook book."

Artemis nodded and glanced back down at her page, determined to start getting her work done. It was eight pm on a Wednesday night and she had a test on this crap the next day. Normally she would have gone home to study, but her mom was having some friends over for a dinner party which was _not _conducive for studying. She was totally wiped from sparring with Kaldur and she most certainly did not have the mental capacity to memorize this information right now.

Unfortunately for Artemis, her mother wasAsian _and_ an ex super-criminal. Those two mixed together were a deadly combination.

It was no longer:

_"Artemis! I just checked your grades! A-minus? No rice for you!"_

It had become:

"_A-minus? I may be in a wheel chair but I can still throw knives, Artemis!"_

Logically, she knew her mother would never _actually _hurt her. But getting berated for hours on end in Vietnamese was _not _her idea of a good time.

So when M'gann started humming the melody to some trashy pop song, Artemis decided she'd had enough of these interruptions.

"Ugh!" She slammed her bio book shut and vaulted herself off the couch. She ignored the strange look M'gann was giving her and stormed out.

She breathed a sigh of relief as the empty hallway greeted her.

"I go to the library to get some peace and quiet, but _no_, obviously the universe is conspiring against me today," Artemis muttered to herself. She quickened her pace, hoping the kitchen would be devoid of anyone. She could have a nice snack, read all about nucleotides and—

"Oof!" Artemis grunted as she ran smack into someone very tall, and very muscular.

She stepped back as Kaldur straightened her.

"My apologies Artemis," the Atlantean grinned. "I was actually just looking for you. Might I—"

"No," Artemis growled, pushing past a confused Kaldur and heading straight for the gym.

_Where nobody will find me, _Artemis grinned.

She opened the door quietly at first, pausing to listen as she placed her ear next to the crack in the door. Straining her ears, she listened for any sounds, any sign of a sentient being. And she especially listened for the one person she had been lucky enough not to come across today, but who was also the one person with the potential to ruin any chance of her getting anything accomplished.

_Wally._

"What are we doing?" someone whispered, so close to Artemis' ear that she could feel the person's breath on her neck.

Artemis jumped, reacting automatically by giving the person a good shove.

Her book clattered to the floor as she realized that it had been Wally who had—literally—been breathing down her neck.

"Ouch!" he complained, rubbing his arm. "Remind me never to sneak up on you again."

Artemis rolled her eyes, reaching down to pick up her book. "I don't have time for this Wally."

"Whoa!" He sped in front of her, holding his arms out. "I am seriously bored right now. Plus, I heard you're in a bad mood."

"Who told you that? And how does your boredom and my anger correlate, _at all_?" Artemis demanded, pushing a wayward lock of hair out of her eyes.

"A little birdie told me," Wally snorted. "Ah, I love being _punny_."

Artemis groaned, reaching past Wally to open the gym door. He quickly stepped to the side to block her arm. "You're an idiot. Now if you _don't mind_, I'm going to go into the gym, lock this door behind me, and study for my biology test like there's no tomorrow. Which unfortunately, there _is_ because I have a _biology test._"

Wally seemed to consider this for a moment before a slow grin spread across his face. "Oh, I get it now."

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "You do?"

Wally nodded. "You've got an Asian parent at home, don't you?"

"You're skills of observation are _astounding_, Baywatch," Artemis growled. "Tell me, was it my slanted eyes or my skin tone that tipped you off to the fact that I'm half-asian?"

Wally shook his head sadly, before grabbing Artemis' wrist. "I recognize the signs. Come on, we've got to get you help."

"_Wally!_" Artemis ripped her hand out of his grasp. "What are you _talking _about?"

"Uncontrollable rage, dark circles under the eyes, inability to focus the night before a test, irritability," Wally listed. "All symptoms of pre-test stress brought on by having an Asian parent."

"I do _not _have dark circles, or uncontrollable rage," Artemis argued. "The reason I'm angry is because _you people _keep interrupting me when I'm trying to study."

Wally laughed. "Oh Arty—"

"Don't _call _me that."

"—you're obviously in denial about your situation. See I happen to know that you _suck_ at biology. And that you're probably going to fail your test tomorrow—"

"Well thanks for the encouragement," Artemis huffed.

"—unless you let me help you." Wally finished with a grin. "Which I am more than willing to do, out of the goodness of my heart. And maybe because I'm bored."

Artemis narrowed her eyes as she thought about it. Her first instinct was to throw the book at Wally and make a dash for it. But that wouldn't solve either of her problems. On one hand, she could let him help her—he was a science prodigy after all—_or_ she could keep her pride and refuse.

Noting her contemplation, Wally stepped in. "Or, if it's what you _really_ want, I can let you fail your test and face the wrath of your mom. Just don't come crying to me when you don't get any rice for dinner."

As Wally started to walk off, Artemis shot a hand out and grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"Fine."

Wally raised an eyebrow. "Fine?"

"Yes, fine, you can help me study."

Wally shook his head. "Sorry, but don't you normally have to _ask _for someone's help? I was under the impression that you did."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

"No rice for you," he sing-songed, with a smarmy grin.

Artemis groaned and took a deep breath. "_Will_you_helpmewithmybiotest_?" she asked, spewing the words out quickly.

"Sorry, what was that? I didn't quite hear you."

"Ugh! Will you, Wally West, help me, Artemis Crock, _with my biology_?" Artemis asked, practically shouting.

Wally placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of _course_, I'll help you Artemis. _After _we grab dinner at that new diner in Happy Harbor!"


End file.
